Seven steps to the perfect story is a great visual representation of how to build a story. This clearly explains the process of how students can construct their narrative and the types of characters they will use. I would definitely use this in my classroom to help students understand the process of creating a narrative.

Learning — to some it is the sound of chalk on blackboards, the search through stacks of scribbled notes, and backpacks full of heavy textbooks. For others with a less traditional lens, learning is the summoning of professors with a click of a mouse, assignments no longer living on paper, but in a cloud, and the ‘classroom’ being everywhere. Education has changed considerably in recent years and we don’t expect it to slow down anytime soon.

Because of the advancement of technology, institutions are able to reach more students than ever with the help of quality and accessible online courses. ‘eLearning’, ‘distance education’, ‘blended learning’, ‘online campuses,’ and other related programs have grown more prominent in higher education institutions. According to NCES data, there were 5.5 million students enrolled in distance education courses at degree-granting postsecondary institutions in fall of 2013.

There are many technologies flooding the market that help foster innovative teaching and learning. These tools, such as learning management systems, lecture capture systems, simulation creators, authoring, and video and audio tools, have flooded into the classrooms and lecture halls of higher education. However, the inference that these innovative tools aid learning should not be immediately assumed. With faculties’ full work load, learning and implementing new and often complex tools to improve their online pedagogy isn’t a priority. In fact, as the needs and tools of institutions have evolved, instructional designers have positioned themselves as pivotal players in the design and delivery of learning experiences. Instructional designers exist to bridge the gap between faculty instruction and student online learning. But who, exactly, are instructional designers? What do they do? Where do they fit in higher education?

Learning — to some it is the sound of chalk on blackboards, the search through stacks of scribbled notes, and backpacks full of heavy textbooks. For others with a less traditional lens, learning is the summoning of professors with a click of a mouse, assignments no longer living on paper, but in a cloud, and the ‘classroom’ being everywhere. Education has changed considerably in recent years and we don’t expect it to slow down anytime soon.

Testing, especially any sort of standardized testing tends to get a bad rap. Teachers complain that they spend too much time teaching to a test. But assessments do have value, and an important place in our learning structure. By measuring what students are learning, we as teachers can look at how we are approaching different subjects, materials, and even different students. The handy infographic takes a look at different types of assessments and their attributes and questions. Keep reading to learn more.

Testing, especially any sort of standardized testing tends to get a bad rap. Teachers complain that they spend too much time teaching to a test. But assessments do have value, and an important place in our learning structure. By measuring what students are learning, we as teachers can look at how we are approaching different subjects, materials, and even different students.

Ashley Hutchinson has an excellent article on the NWP site, illustrating how content curation can be effectively used to move students from passively memorizing information that they have no interest into, to become active investigators of a topic to uncover its different facets and critical evaluators of the same in light of their own values.

Her key goal was to find a way to make "research" something fun to do for her students.

"I wanted students to be able to funnel their interests into a more authentic academic experience so that they could learn about what they want to learn about and become empowered as researchers, both casually and formally.

To do that, I needed to remix their idea of what research is, transform it from something boring and arbitrary into something rich and useful.

When I don't know something, I look it up... So I called this an "argument curation" project, and not just to sound fancy; they were actually identifying arguments and curating resources that helped inform those arguments."

The beauty of this approach is that students need to check and research the different aspects of a story, to see it through and to develop their own viewpoint relative to it. And here is the a good example of how this can be achieved:

"...They had to find the resources and think carefullyabout what the resources were actually saying, so that their collections contained diverse opinions and ways of expressing them.

...On their websites, they described the general topic, created page for five different arguments and gave a breakdown of why people are debating those topics.

Then they had to set out to find resources, but not just any resources, resources that had different perspectives. Even those that were in contention with their own.

After gathering at least three resources on five different argument topics within their area of interest, the studentssummarized the perspectives they saw in the diverse resources that they found.

After being exposed to all of these resources and having some time to think, they themselves entered into the conversation by giving their opinion and referencing the sources that helped inform their opinion.

By having a conversation with their resources, students found themselves **thinking** instead of repeating, synthesizing instead of summarizing."

I don't want to spoil any further your reading of the original which includes some inspiring info about the effects that such an approach can have on students and on their ability to look at the information that they are exposed to.

Excellent resource for educators considering curation in their program.

At Rose High School, located in eastern North Carolina and populated by students on extreme ends of the socioeconomic spectrum, we have students who are passionate and active about everything from establishing a witty presence on social media to saving orphans in Darfur, but these are often extracurricular activities that don't show up in the actual classroom. Students might spend hours posting selfies on Facebook or hours planning a benefit concert, but when they feel like they have to put on their academic persona, they tend to forget those parts of themselves.

I wanted students to be able to funnel their interests into a more authentic academic experience so that they could learn about what they want to learn about and become empowered as researchers, both casually and formally. To do that, I needed to remix their idea of what research is, transform it from something boring and arbitrary into something rich and useful. When I don't know something, I look it up. I, like most of my students, have a smartphone that puts a world of information at my fingertips, and most of the time, I remember to use it. If I see a comic on The Oatmeal about mantis shrimp, and I want to know if such a creature actually exists, I will look it up on the selfsame iPhone on which I viewed the comic. I feel empowered to research any topic I want, no matter how trivial or how important. My students typically don't feel that sense of empowerment as researchers, as knowledge gatherers.

Seven steps to the perfect story is a great visual representation of how to build a story. This clearly explains the process of how students can construct their narrative and the types of characters they will use. I would definitely use this in my classroom to help students understand the process of creating a narrative.

There are growing numbers of library and information sector posts which have the term “information literacy” in the job title, or which have information literacy development as a key responsibility.

The IFLA Information Literacy Section has set up a project which aims to develop profiles for Information Literacy Professionals (ILPs), with input from library and information professionals in different sectors and in different countries...

With the rise of ebooks, public libraries are at a crossroads. Some book publishers, fearful that library ebook lending will cannibalize retail sales of books, are reluctant to supply ebooks to libraries at the very time that library patrons are clamoring for greater access to such materials.

Sharing your scoops to your social media accounts is a must to distribute your curated content. Not only will it drive traffic and leads through your content, but it will help show your expertise with your followers.

Integrating your curated content to your website or blog will allow you to increase your website visitors’ engagement, boost SEO and acquire new visitors. By redirecting your social media traffic to your website, Scoop.it will also help you generate more qualified traffic and leads from your curation work.

Distributing your curated content through a newsletter is a great way to nurture and engage your email subscribers will developing your traffic and visibility.
Creating engaging newsletters with your curated content is really easy.